2 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 3
Meet the team - 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Roster
John Buck
Martin Russell
Tony Sanchez
Pedro Alverez
Clint Barmes
Josh Harrison
Garrett Jones
Jordy Mercer
Justin Morneau
Gaby Sanchez
Neil Walker
Marlon Byrd
Andrew Lambo
Starling Marte
Andrew McCutchen
Felix Pie
Travis Snider
José Tabata
A.J. Burnett
Gerrit Cole
Brandon Cumpton
Kyle Farnsworth
Jeanmar Gomez
Jason Grilli
Jared Hughes
Kris Johnson
Fran Liriano
Jeff Locke
Vin Mazzaro
Mark Melancon
Bryan Morris
Charlie Morton
Stomy Pimental
Tony Watson
Justin Wilson
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4 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
May 11, 2013 - Win #20 - Pirates 11, Mets 2 Turning Point in the game: After coming off the disabled list, free agent acquisition Francisco Liriano, in his Pirates debut, shut down the Mets over 5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts. He gave up six hits and two walks in a performance that showed Bucco fans that he was out to become the staff ace for 2013.
NEW YORK — Francisco Liriano turned out to be the ace of Pittsburgh’s pitching staff in 2013, something that became evident with his Pirates debut on May 11 against the New York Mets. Liriano struck out nine batters over 5 1/3 innings and the Pirates teed off on New York’s pitching for an 11-2 win against the Mets. “He’s pitched before and he’s been good,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “Good to have him in the fold now, for me it’s ä three left-handers in the rotation, I like that a lot. Especially in the division we’re in, the way we match up against the teams.” Jordy Mercer homered twice and Jose Tabata had four hits, including a two-run shot for the Pirates. The Mets have struggled to score at home, but the start by Jonathon Niese would have put any team in a hole. He tied a career high by allowing eight runs, and walked more batters than he struck out for the fourth time in eight starts this season. Liriano, returning from a broken non-throwing arm, allowed one run in 5 1/3 innings and 90 pitches. He gave up six hits and two walks. “Today went good. Really good location and just using a lot today,” Liriano said. “It was a little weird, nervous. But that went away and it just feels good to get the first one out of the way.” After a late-spring injury to Jeff Karstens and the release of Jonathan Sanchez, the Pirates needed the help in their rotation. “You can probably count the teams on one hand that have really good offensive splits more so against left-handed pitchers than against right-handed pitching,” Hurdle said.
The Pirates jumped on Niese early, and finally drove him out of the game in the fifth. Mercer hit a solo shot after third baseman David Wright made a nifty barehanded play to throw out Starling Marte, and Tabata hit an RBI double off the base of the wall in center field. Michael McKenry followed with a two-run single off reliever Scott Atchison and Clint Barmes followed with an RBI single before Liriano popped foul to end the inning. Liriano agreed to a contract with Pittsburgh in the offseason, but broke his right arm on Dec. 25, the day before he was supposed to fly to Pittsburgh and sign a $12.75 million, two-year contract. Liriano, who said he was injured when he slapped a door in his house, signed a revised offer and prepared for a delayed start to the season. And Liriano delivered. He set the first seven batters down in order, and the Mets didn’t get anyone to third base until the sixth inning, when Justin Turner singled with Wright on first and one out. Marlon Byrd, now a Pirate following his late season trade, hit a tough dribbler down the third base line that Brandon Inge charged, but he mishandled the transfer to his throwing hand on a play that was ruled a single. The Mets put two runners on in the fourth inning after Byrd’s two-out single. But Liriano struck out Andrew Brown. He fanned Daniel Murphy to end the fifth after Tejada’s double. Barmes hit an RBI single in the second inning and Tabata hit a two-run homer in the third, after Andrew McCutchen’s RBI single. “For our guys to swing the bats today the way they did in a big ballpark, I think that was a feel good for the offensive side of our game,” Hurdle said. In the bottom of the seventh, reliever Bryan Morris hit pinch-hitter Jordany Valdespin with his first pitch. The night before, Valdespin hit a long home run and took plenty of time time admiring its trajectory. When he returned to the dugout after the inning, he threw his helmet in the corner and tore off his batting gloves while no one acknowledged him. Over on the Pittsburgh side, Morris received fist bumps from manager Clint Hurdle and many of his teammates.
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 5
May 14, 2013 - Win #22 - Pirates 4, Brewers 3 Turning Point in the game: Andrew McCutchen caps a Pirates comeback with a 12th inning, opposite field home run.
Leading off the 12th inning, McCutchen — hitless in his first six plate appearances — seized his chance to make a statement against the Pirates’ nemesis, connecting on a 2-2 offering from reliever Mike Fiers that landed in the second row of the right center field seating area.
Beating the teams you’re supposed to beat is one of the hallmarks of a winning baseball club.
McCutchen sprinted out of the box upon contact and quickly made his way around the bases, raising his right fist in the air between first and second base.
This season’s struggling Milwaukee Brewers certainly fell into that category for the up-and-coming Pirates. But with a dismal record against the Brewers over the past several seasons, and having lost three of their first four games against them in 2013, the Pirates’ ability to take care of business against lesser competition remained an enormous question mark heading into the teams’ May 14 matchup at PNC Park.
“After the other two balls I hit, I wasn’t taking anything for granted,” he said. “I didn’t know if it was going to go out or not when I hit it, so I just started running. Once I saw it was a home run, I just kept running.”
With the score deadlocked at 3-3 in the 12th inning, a towering, opposite-field shot to right center field off the bat of the team’s unquestioned leader, Andrew McCutchen, turned that question mark into an exclamation point.
McCutchen hit a drive to deep center field in the first inning with two runners on base that center fielder Carlos Gomez caught just in front of the fence. In the seventh, right fielder Norichika Aoki hauled in McCutchen’s drive to the 375-foot sign in right-center field.
Things got off to a rough start when the second batter of the game, Brewers shortstop Jean Segura, drilled a Jeff Locke pitch into the left field bleachers for a solo home run, getting the Brewers out to an early lead. The Pirates would go on to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame on a run-scoring ground out.
“I thought both of them were gone but I guess it’s the cool weather keeping the balls in the park,” McCutchen said. “It’s been a cool spring and the ball doesn’t seem to be carrying anywhere. Summer is just around the corner so hopefully the weather will warm up and balls will start flying pretty soon.”
After each surrendered runs in the first, both Locke and Brewers starter Kyle Lohse settled in, but Milwaukee would break the tie in the bottom of the fourth, scoring a single run on a pair of doubles by Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez. The Brewers would add on the following inning, plating Norichika Aoki on a Segura groundout, after the speedy leadoff hitter had reached on an infield single and advanced to third on two Locke wild pitches.
As he approached his teammates waiting to mob him at home plate, McCutchen tossed his helmet and raised his arms skyward. The Pirates and Brewers would square off 14 more times, but there was a sense that things might be different this year.
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On a side note, the May 14 game also featured one of the season’s more bizarre moments: In the top of the 11th inning, home plate umpire Fieldin Culbreth was forced to leave the game when the Brewers’ Yuniesky Betancourt fouled off a pitch that lodged between Culbreth’s mask and left shoulder, injuring his collarbone. He returned the following game to umpire at third base.
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The Pirates tied the game with single runs in the sixth and eighth innings, the latter coming on a sharply hit double down the left field line off the bat of catcher Russell Martin. After Jason Grilli struck out the side in the top of the ninth, the Bucs wasted an opportunity to walk off in the bottom half of the frame when Garrett Jones grounded into an inning-ending double play with two runners on base.
Indeed, the dramatic win proved to be the turning point for the Pirates in the season series with the Brewers, as the Bucs would go on to win a total of 12 out of 19 meetings with Milwaukee.
6 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
June 11, 2013 - Win #38 - Pirates 8, Giants 2
before a crowd of more than 30,000 that turned out to witness Cole’s Major League debut at PNC Park. When the gates opened, fans made a beeline for the best spots overlooking the bullpen, many standing in place for more than an hour to catch their first glimpse of Cole in a Pirates uniform. You couldn’t have scripted a better opening as Cole blew leadoff hitter Gregor Blanco away with three fastballs in the high 90s to chalk up his first big league strikeout. He looked dominant at times and vulnerable at others, but showed fortitude in pitching out of some early jams, stranding five runners on base over the first two innings without surrendering a run. The fresh-faced rookie could do no wrong. Even a routine lineout to center field in the sixth inning — albeit relatively hard hit — drew a standing ovation. A player never knows what to expect when he makes his Major League debut — and it’s probably safe to assume Cole didn’t anticipate finishing the night with as many runs batted in as strikeouts. Cole came to the plate to face Lincecum in his first big-league at bat with the bases loaded in the second inning. After working the count full, Cole smacked a high pitch over the inner half of the plate the other way that found grass between the center fielder Blanco and right fielder Hunter Pence. The single plated two runs, and Cole couldn’t help but flash a grin as the crowd once again showed its appreciation. Turning Point in the game: With the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, Gerrit Cole singles to right center field off the Giants’ Tim Lincecum, plating two runs to put the Pirates up 3-0.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates made flame-throwing righty Gerrit Cole the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, they firmly believed they had selected a future staff ace that would anchor their rotation for years to come. The future arrived on a warm Tuesday night in June that the more than 30,000 fans in attendance won’t soon forget. Pressed into service after veteran left-hander Wandy Rodriguez left his June 5 start against the Atlanta Braves with a forearm injury that ultimately would sideline him for the rest of the season, Cole came to Pittsburgh just looking to hold down the fort in a rotation that was quickly emerging as one of baseball’s best. He delivered that and more when he took the hill against the San Francisco Giants and former Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum on June 11, delivering 6 1/3 strong innings
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The Pirates bats came alive in support of their newest teammate. Pedro Alvarez drove in three runs on three hits, including a mammoth two-run shot in the seventh. Starling Marte also homered, and Andrew McCutchen, Garrett Jones and Neil Walker each collected RBIs as the Bucs scored eight runs to back Cole’s strong outing. After hitting Gregor Blanco with a pitch to load the bases with two outs in the second, Cole proceeded to retire the next 13 batters he faced, a streak that ended when Andres Torres singled to right to lead off the seventh inning. A single and a fielder’s choice put runners at first and third for pinch-hitter Tony Abreu, who chased Cole from the game with a run-scoring double down the right field line that made the score 5-1. Reliever Tony Watson surrendered a run that was charged to Cole, who finished the night giving up two runs on seven hits, walking none and striking out two in his 6 1/3 innings, more than good enough for his first Major League win. He would go on to win his first four starts, the first Pirate in 106 years to do so.
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 7
June 30, 2013 - Win #51 - Pirates 2, Brewers 1 Turning Point in the game: Gaby Sanchez, not the fastest Pittsburgh Pirate, led off the 14th with an infield single. With one out, he stole second for his first steal in more than a year. After a walk, Russell Martin hit a soft liner to center off Francisco Rodriguez. Sanchez chugged around third and beat the throw home. This followed 11 scoreless innings by the Pirates’ bullpen.
As Gaby Sanchez “trucked” around third some 6 1/2 hours after Pittsburgh’s June 30 matchup against Milwaukee began, one thought went through his head. “’This is enough,’” the 216-pound first baseman said after the game. “’I’m tired. It’s been a long day.’” Then Sanchez laughed. The Pittsburgh Pirates have been doing an awful lot of that lately. Pinch-hitter Russell Martin singled home Sanchez for the winning run in the 14th inning and the Pirates earned their ninth straight victory, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1. The Pirates extended their longest winning streak since 2004, when they took 10 in a row. Pittsburgh reached the midpoint of its season with the best record in the majors at 51-30. “It’s fun right now,” said Martin, who played a key role in an extra-inning victory he did not start for the second straight Sunday. “Obviously, winning is fun, but just being on a team with a bunch of guys who play with their hearts out there and enjoy the game, it’s definitely been a pleasure.” Teammates were having fun with Sanchez, a slugger not known for his speed. Sanchez led off the 14th with an infield single. With one out, he stole second for his first steal in more than a year. After a walk, Martin hit a soft liner to center. Sanchez chugged around third and slid home ahead of the throw by Carlos Gomez. “I guess he felt fresh today for some reason,” Martin said with a wry smile. “We’re just grinding; he’s out there grinding and made it happen and I think everybody is enjoying it.”
Sanchez validated the efforts of Pittsburgh’s stingy bullpen, one that refers to itself as “The Shark Tank.” Vin Mazzaro pitched five perfect innings. He was among six Pirates relievers who combined for 11 scoreless innings after Charlie Morton was pulled following a rain delay of 2 hours, 20 minutes. Justin Wilson, Bryan Morris, Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon each pitched a scoreless inning following Mazzaro ä allowing a total of two hits and no walks. Tony Watson (2-1) struck out four in three hitless innings. “A truly incredible job from everybody out there,” Hurdle said.
Pirates manager Clint Hurdle gave the sign for Sanchez to make an attempt for his first stolen base as a Pirate and first overall since May 6, 2012. “Once it gets late like that, you’ve got to take some chances,” Hurdle said. “Gaby’s always heads-up.”
“It feels like they all throw 110 mph, and they’ve all got good stuff,” Brewers outfielder Logan Schafer said. “They know what they’re doing. They locate their pitches for the most part and they get ahead early in the count. Those guys are very good.” Andrew McCutchen hit a tying single in the Pittsburgh eighth.
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8 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
July 30, 2013 - Wins #63/#64 - Pirates vs. Cardinals Turning Points in the games: In the opener, it took an 11th inning single by Alex Presley to give the Pirates a 2-1 victory on a strong start by A.J. Burnett. In the nightcap, Brandon Cumpton picked up his first Major League victory by shutting out the Cardinals 6-0 over seven strong innings.
playoff baseball. A packed PNC Park — on a Tuesday afternoon, no less — buzzed as Burnett and Lynn matched each other for the better part of two hours. Burnett received a bit of help with two on and one out in the first when center fielder Andrew McCutchen made a diving grab of a sinking liner by Carlos Beltran. The Gold Glover then hopped to his feet and alertly doubled up Holliday.
After a euphoric doubleheader sweep of reeling St. Louis on July 30 that propelled them to the top of the division, the Pittsburgh Pirates were ready to get greedy.
Three hours after Alex Presley’s grounder caromed off Siegrist’s glove in the opener, the Pirates breezed to a 6-0 victory in the second game behind rookie starter Brandon Cumpton.
“We want more,’ manager Clint Hurdle said.
Working with usual Triple-A battery mate Tony Sanchez ä making his major league debut ä Cumpton scattered three hits over seven innings to extend the Cardinals’ losing streak to a season-high six games.
Keep pitching like this, and that shouldn’t be a problem.
“Pitching inside has been my thing all year,’ Cumpton said. “I didn’t want to get away from it. I wanted to force the issue.’
Alex Presley hit a game-ending single with two outs in the 11th inning, lifting the Pirates to a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the opener July 30.
All it did was compound the issues for St. Louis, which has scored all of five runs in the last 56 innings. Even worse, catcher Yadier Molina is likely headed to the disabled list after leaving in the top of the fourth inning of the second game with a sprained right knee.
Presley hit a sharp bouncer that deflected off the glove of pitcher Kevin Siegrist and away from shortstop Pete Kozma, who was moving toward second base. Kozma could not recover and the ball rolled into the outfield, allowing Russell Martin to sprint all the way home from second base. Pirates starter A.J. Burnett pitched seven emotionally charged innings, giving up one run on three hits, striking out nine and walking three. Though it was just his second victory since May 3, Burnett’s performance set the tone and the bullpen followed his lead. “It’s a battle, it’s fun,’ Burnett said. “Let’s roll from here. Let’s keep going.’ Vin Mazzaro (6-2) picked up the victory after retiring three of the four batters he faced in the 11th. Despite leading the National League in runs and batting average, the Cardinals went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position in the opener. “We had some hard-hit balls with runners in scoring position,’ Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said. “It just didn’t work out.’ The Pirates survived by doing what they’ve done for most of the first four months of the season, riding another stellar effort from baseball’s top pitching staff and getting just enough hitting to win. Presley’s slapper capped a 3-hour, 52-minute marathon that had all the makings of
The sweep pushed Pittsburgh to a season-high 22 games over .500. Cardinals starter Tyler Lyons gave up four runs, three earned, in six innings. He struck out five and walked one but received no help from a reeling offense and some sloppy play in the field. On the heels of Presley’s game-winner, the fortuitous bounces kept on coming for the Pirates, who took a 1-0 lead in the second when a rare passed ball by Molina let Jose Tabata sprint across the plate. Molina was done for the night in the top of the fourth when the right knee pain he’s been battling for the better part of a month flared up again. He was replaced by Rob Johnson. The absence of their leader further weakened the Cardinals, and things quickly fell apart. While Cumpton kept the NL’s top offense in check, Pittsburgh poured it on with a little help from St. Louis left fielder Matt Holliday. The Pirates took a 2-0 lead on Jordy Mercer’s RBI single before McCutchen stepped in. He drilled Lyons’ pitch deep to left but Holliday appeared ready to track it down at the wall. Instead, the ball popped off the heel of Holliday’s glove and into the stands. Cumpton needed just 87 pitches to get 21 outs. He received a loud ovation as he headed to the dugout, the latest in a series of unheralded Pirates pitchers to rise from obscurity and help propel the franchise into the midst of a pennant race.
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 9
August 6, 2013 - Win #68 - Pirates 4, Marlins 3 Turning Point in the game: Josh Harrison hits a walk-off homer — his first since high school — over the right-center field wall in the bottom of the ninth at PNC Park to give the Pirates the win over the Marlins. Centerfielder Andrew McCutchen also made a diving grab with two on in the seventh to save two runs.
For Josh Harrison, it didn’t get any better than his walk-off home run on Aug. 6 to give the Pittsburgh Pirates a 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins. What made the hit even more interesting is that the last time Harrison hit a walk-off homer, he was a high school senior in Cincinnati. The game was played in front of a few dozen people on a spring afternoon. Still the only homer of his prep career remains ingrained in Harrison’s memory. Now it’s got company. The Pittsburgh Pirates utility infielder sent a fastball from Miami reliever Mike Dunn into the first row of seats in right-center leading off the ninth, the improbable homer lifting the Pirates to a 4-3 victory.
“Initially, I didn’t think it was high enough to go out but it carried and it was a home run,” Dunn said. “It was a good job on his part.” Bryan Morris pitched a perfect top of the ninth for the victor y. Neil Walker had three hits for the Pirates. McCutchen had two hits, including a two-run double, for Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh’s Jeff Locke provided a solid start, even though things started a bit shaky. Miami turned three singles (none of them sharply hit) into a run in the second then added two more in the third behind four straight singles to start the inning. The Marlins, however, couldn’t pile on and Locke eventually settled down. The left-hander allowed three runs on nine hits in 5 2-3 innings, walking three and striking out four.
“I knew it had a chance,” Harrison said after his second home run of the season. “I knew it wasn’t caught off the bat. I was running, watching (Giancarlo) Stanton’s reaction. I knew he wasn’t going to catch it. I saw him pull up and it didn’t kick back, I knew it was gone.”
“There are lessons to be learned for him,” Hurdle said of Locke. “He’s always got to be the predator and the aggressor. We’re into August. We’re into September. Everybody that gets that ball, you’ve got to be throwing aggressive punches off the mound with intent and conviction.”
Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle sent Harrison out to leadoff the inning modestly hoping Harrison could find a way to get on base. Instead, Harrison provided another signature moment in a season full of memories for the Pirates.
Locke left two runners on in the sixth. He also left with a no decision as Mazzaro retired Ed Lucas with two runners on to end the inning.
A marvelous diving grab by centerfielder Andrew McCutchen with two on in the seventh saved two runs and reliever Vin Mazzaro narrowly escaped a bases-loaded jam moments when a liner from Jeff Mathis landed inches foul. Mathis eventually flied to left on a night Miami left 11 runners on base. Minutes later Harrison was getting the creampie to the face treatment. “Those are little things that happen that make you go àYeah, something’s going on,’” Hurdle said. “There’s no doubt the more feel good you get, the more you feel good.” The win moved the Pirates to 68-44 at the time, 24 games over 500. Dunn bailed Chad Qualls after Qualls loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth. He struck out Pedro Alvarez and got Russell Martin to hit into a double play but couldn’t get the best of Harrison, a bench player who has spent most of the season shuttling between Pittsburgh and Triple-A Indianapolis.
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Henderson Alvarez handcuffed the Pirates in their previous meeting, limiting Pittsburgh to just two hits in six innings of a victory two weeks ago. The Pirates, however, briefly figured him out in the third. McCutchen doubled off the wall to drive in two runs and Pedro Alvarez followed with his first triple of the year to tie it. The Pirates never threatened against the Miami starter again, and Alvarez left after seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits, striking out six while not issuing a walk. That left it up to the bullpens and Pittsburgh’s “Shark Tank” continued its dominance. Mazzaro survived the seventh and the Marlins went meekly in the eighth and ninth before Harrison stepped to the plate. “I’ve never been around a group of guys that fights this hard the entire game,” Locke said. “We load the bases in the eighth and Pedro comes up and we don’t score and you see who comes up with nobody on and walks off. It’s funny how the game works like that.”
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10 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
August 14, 2013 - Win #71 - Pirates 5, Cardinals 1 Turning point in the game: Starting Pitcher Francisco Liriano throws a gem at St. Louis, besting the Cardinals. The Pirates’ defense erased three Cardinals leadoff baserunners en route to Liriano’s four-hit complete game victory.
run-scoring singles in a three-run fourth. Liriano frustrated the Cardinal bats all night, retiring 12 of 13 batters during one stretch from the second through the sixth innings. His swingand-miss stuff wasn’t what it’s been at other points during the year, but he worked efficiently, needing only 94 pitches to go the distance.
In need of a win following arguably their toughest loss of the season, the Pirates on Aug. 14 turned to Francisco Liriano, their ace who was looking for a bounce-back performance of his own when he took the hill in St. Louis.
“You can say the guy was on it,” the Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter said. “It’s one thing to come in here and say we lost the game because we didn’t play well or we had a ton of pitches to hit and we didn’t do our job.
The previous night, with the game seemingly well in hand, left fielder Starling Marte dropped a routine fly ball with one out in the ninth that opened the door for Allen Craig’s game-tying single, resulting in Mark Melancon’s first blown save of the season. The Cardinals finally broke through in the 14th, walking off on Adron Chambers’ single off Jared Hughes.
“This guy was nasty.”
On a more personal level, Liriano was trying to shake off his previous start — his worst of the season, in which he allowed 10 earned runs in just 2 1/3 innings of work.
The defense backed up Liriano’s sharp pitching throughout the night, three times erasing leadoff baserunners via the double play. The only blemish on the left-hander’s stellar night came in the ninth, with the Pirates holding a comfortable 5-0 lead. A Carlos Beltran groundout scored Matt Carpenter, who had doubled with one out and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
He answered the challenge by delivering one of his strongest outings of the year, tossing a complete-game, four-hit gem that keyed a 5-1 Pirates victory over the Cardinals, putting to an end a four-game losing streak.
Liriano retired Craig to end the game, putting the finishing touch on his second complete game of the season and the third of his career. He scattered four hits, striking out six and walking only one as he faced just three batters over the minimum.
“What we’ve seen all year, he’s just given us chances to win. He’s pitched deep into games, he’s mixed pitches, he’s really been in command when runners get on base,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said.
The strong all-around performance stretched the Pirates’ lead in the NL Central back to three games, after the Cardinals shaved it down from a season high four games.
After both Liriano and his mound opponent, Shelby Miller, cruised through one-twothree first innings, the Pirates offense went to work in the top of the second. Pedro Alvarez homered to lead off the inning, and Garrett Jones followed two batters later with a shot over the right field fence to put the Bucs up 2-0. Marte and Tony Sanchez added
“It was important because every game counts, especially after last night,” Liriano said. “It was a tough game last night and we had to put that one behind us and come ready to play.”
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 11
September 9, 2013 - Win #82 - Pirates 1, Rangers 0 Turning Point in the game: Following two consecutive walks and a double steal attempt, Pirates starter Gerrit Cole preserves a scoreless tie in the sixth inning by getting Adrian Beltre to ground out. Pedro Alvarez would drive in the game’s only run the following inning with a two-out RBI double. The win marked Cole’s best start to date.
In a pitcher’s duel that lived up to its billing, Pirates rookie Gerrit Cole outlasted Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish to earn a victory that meant a lot more to Pittsburgh fans than it did to the men in the clubhouse who had just earned it. Cole’s seven shutout innings against Texas on Sept. 9 helped end a four-game losing streak that included a sweep at division rival St. Louis, and set the tone for a road series sweep against the Rangers. It also represented elusive win number 82, ensuring the Pirates’ first winning season since 1992. Following the game, the team acknowledged the feat but made it clear No. 82 was a stepping stone, not the destination. “It’s going to touch a lot of people on a lot of different levels,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “We are aware of it. Everybody’s here for a reason, and that’s to knock down things we haven’t done in a long time.” Cole — who was 2 years old when the Pirates last made the postseason — also kept things in perspective after arguably the strongest outing of his young career. “We don’t really understand what the fans have been through. I know it definitely puts a smile on their face when they see that No. 82 up there,” Cole said. “We’re extremely happy to be able to make them feel like we’ve got a winning team out there. But we’ve got a few weeks ahead and those are going to be some real big games.” The game moved Pittsburgh to within a game of the Cardinals, who had seized the division lead by virtue of their three game sweep of the Pirates. Cole and Darvish matched each other practically pitch-for-pitch through the early part of the night. The game’s first five innings saw just one man from either club reach second base — Rangers catcher Geovany Soto, who singled and advanced on a Cole wild pitch in the second. The only hint of trouble for Cole came in the sixth, when he issued back-to-back walks to Elvis Andrus and Alex Rios after getting two quick outs. A successful double steal put both men in scoring position, but Adrian Beltre grounded out to short to end the threat. In the seventh, Darvish also recorded two quick outs before Marlon Byrd doubled to
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12 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
September 23, 2013 - Win #90 - Pirates 2, Cubs 1 Turning Point in the game: Starling Marte homers in the top of the ninth to put the Pirates up 2-1; then, in the bottom of the ninth, Jason Grilli earns save No. 32 when Andrew McCutchen picked up Ryan Sweeney’s single and threw to first baseman Justin Morneau, positioned just in front of the pitcher’s mound. Morneau caught the throw on one hop and made the relay to catcher Russell Martin, who applied the tag on Nate Schierholtz trying to score from first base.
The Pittsburgh Pirates’ 21-year hiatus from the playoffs ended Sept. 23 just as it began: with a play at home plate. Russell Martin’s tag on a play at the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth marked win No. 90 for the Pirates, a 2-1 thriller over the Chicago Cubs, and also clinched the team’s first postseason berth since 1992. That season ended when Sid Bream beat out a throw home from Barry Bonds in the bottom of the ninth in game seven of the National League Championship Series to claim the pennant for the Atlanta Braves. “Even though I didn’t lose for the last 20 years, they make you feel like you are. You feel like you lost those 20 years,” Andrew McCutchen said. “That’s all you hear. You hear it every single day ä àWhen’s it going to change? You think this is the year?’ You get sick and tired of hearing that. It’s awesome that there won’t be any questions anymore. The question is, àAre we going to be able to go farther?’” It marks Pittsburgh’s first trip to the postseason since Barry Bonds, Jim Leyland and Co. won three straight NL East titles from 1990-92. Starling Marte hit a tiebreaking homer in the ninth inning at Wrigley Field, and Jason Grilli closed it out for save No. 32. The Pirates sprayed each other with bubbly and beer and sparkling cider in the visitors’ clubhouse once St. Louis’ 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals became final. The Cincinnati Reds also clinched at least a wild-card berth, when they beat the New York Mets 3-2 in 10 innings. Pittsburgh players sang Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” They chanted “MVP! MVP!” while dousing McCutchen. They took pictures and manager Clint Hurdle had them gather for a group photo in the middle of the cramped visitors’ clubhouse. “The people of Pittsburgh have been waiting a long time,” said Neil Walker, who homered in the first to give the Bucs the early lead. The Pirates snapped a 1-all tie when Marte sent a drive off Kevin Gregg with two outs in the ninth into the left field bleachers.
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 13 In a fitting coincidence, they then preserved the victory on the final out in a play at the plate. McCutchen, the center fielder, picked up Ryan Sweeney’s bloop single after right fielder Marlon Byrd failed in trying to scoop up the ball and threw to first baseman Justin Morneau, positioned just in front of the pitcher’s mound. Morneau caught the throw on one hop and made the relay to catcher Russell Martin, who applied the tag on Nate Schierholtz trying to score from first base. Still on his knees, Martin held the ball over his head in jubilation. Then, he was embraced by Grilli before heaving the ball toward deep left field as the Pirates celebrated near the mound. Grilli escaped with his 32nd save in 34 chances. “Twenty-one years since we popped champagne in a Pirates clubhouse ä and we’re acting like it’s been a long time,” Hurdle said. “The hard work, the fun. I’m just proud of each and every man in here, the fans they represent, ownership, general manager, president ... the scouts, players. This has been a group effort for a long time.” The Cubs tied it in the eighth off Mark Melancon. Walker homered off Jeff Samardzija in the first to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead, and Charlie Morton pitched three-hit ball over seven scoreless innings before the Cubs tied it against Melancon. Brian Bogusevic led off the eighth with a single, his second hit, and moved up on a groundout by Darwin Barney. Then, after a wild pitch, he scored the tying run on a single by pinch-hitter Donnie Murphy. That spoiled a terrific start for Morton, who struck out five and walked one. Samardzija was almost as good, allowing one run and five hits over six innings. He struck out seven and walked four after going 0-1 with a 7.11 ERA in his previous four starts. He pitched seven solid innings against Milwaukee last week but got into a disagreement with third base coach David Bell over defensive positioning in the dugout. Samardzija’s only blemish in this one came when Walker drove a 1-1 pitch out to leftcenter with one out in the first. With the long ball, Walker matched a career high of 14 set last season. He has four homers in the past five games. Samardzija settled down after that but got little support as the Cubs lost for the 10th time in 13 games. It was also the second straight day an opponent celebrated at Wrigley Field. Atlanta clinched the NL East on Sept. 22, and this time, it was the Pirates’ turn to party. “That’s what we need to do,” Samardzija said. “I think we’re getting there, but we need to get some things ironed out.” The Pirates finally have it figured out. Now, they’re playoff-bound.
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14 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
Talking with the pitching coach
we’re all pulling in the same direction.
Ray Searage, 58 • Pittsburgh Pirates pitching coach • Born in Freeport, N.Y.; attended West Liberty State College • Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 22nd round of the 1976 draft • Spent parts of seven seasons as a relief pitcher for the White Sox, Brewers, Dodgers and Mets from 1981-90 • Served as Pirates pitching coach since August 2010 Editor’s note: In a season filled with surprises, the Pirates pitching stands alone at the top of the list. From a solid core of starters to a bullpen that was the best in baseball throughout the year, solid, consistent pitching has been a hallmark of the team’s resurgence. Ray Searage, the man responsible for the pitching staff’s development, talks about his role and how the staff has come together as the Pirates head into the postseason.
that. The communication between our star ters and our catchers (has) been extremely good as to what’s working and what’s not working today, and we go from there.
Q: The starting pitching has remained consistent throughout the 2013 season. What’s been different this year as opposed to the past couple years?
Searage: You know, you take that game — that one game that one day — and whoever’s starting it, you go over the game plan, you try to help them become the best pitcher that they can be by using their stuff, and go to their strengths, and you put the pieces together. You connect the dots out there, and you let them have it, and the catcher plays an integral role in that. It’s really a good thing to do, that
Searage: We’ve got starters out there with experience, that know when to go change their game plans, and are able to make adjustments during the course of the game. Our catchers play a big part in
Q: The starters’ overall performance has been very consistent, but the faces have changed through the season. As a pitching coach, what challenges do you face trying to hold things together when you’ve had a dozen guys start games this year?
Q: The bullpen has exceeded just about everyone’s expectations this year. To what do you attribute that success? Searage: These guys have matured greatly during the course of the year. They know what they’re all about, they know what their stuff is. They know what their jobs are, and it makes it a lot easier to prepare for the day when you know what time of the game that you’ll be coming in, what the score might be, and then you know what hitters you’re going to be facing. Preparation, and knowing a little bit about the unknown, helps you perform a little bit better. Q: The whole âshark tankã theme has gotten a good bit of attention this year. Is that just something fun for the guys out there, or does it speak to a deeper solidarity that’s translated to on-field performance? Searage: I think it’s both. In the beginning, they wanted to make an identity for themselves out there, and they wanted to get ... an animal that was a predator, and the shark, it just happened that (Mark) Melancon had some experience in a shark tank in Australia, in New Zealand. It took off, and now they know they have high standards that they perform to. Q: A lot of guys have looked like the staff’s ace at various points this year, but Francisco Liriano obviously seems to have been your most consistent stopper this year. What has his presence meant for this club? Searage: Outstanding. He’s a quiet
leader. He goes out and leads by actions. He’s not a rah-rah, boom-boom guy on the bench here. He’s very smart, he’s very well-grounded. He’s got a good idea on what his abilities are, and he does his homework on the opposing team. He goes out there and he competes, and he’ll try to figure out how to beat you, one way or the other. Q: Any thoughts on what was keeping him from achieving that form the past couple years? Searage: You know, to tell you the truth, I really couldn’t put a finger on it, or to tell you this was the reason why. When he got here, it was like a new beginning for him — new coaches, and everything, and we looked at him in a brand new, fresh way, and we tried to help him in order to get his delivery sound, to find out what his strengths were. He’s not your quintessential two-seam left-hander; you know, he can throw a slider, a changeup, at any time in the count, so you just can’t sit on one pitch. If he’s executing all those pitches, and pitching in, it’s really hard to get a good feel for him because you don’t know what he’s going to throw. His personality is tremendous. He’s a great leader for the younger kids, especially the Latinos, and he goes about his business, and he’s a well-grounded human being. Q: What has it been like to work with Gerrit Cole, and the tremendous amount of raw talent he possesses? Searage: It’s like holding onto a tornado, you know, trying to ride it. He is a young kid with, God bless him, some great talent. Now all we have to do is try to funnel that and get it going to where it’s
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 15 going to be more beneficial to him. Earlier on, the breaking pitches, the offspeed pitches, were not quite there yet. He worked tirelessly in the bullpen to make sure that they got consistent, and before you know it, we started seeing the benefits of that. Right now, he’s still going to go through his growing pains in the Major Leagues, but you know, he’s got a better idea that he can adjust, absorb, and make the adjustment for the next start. Q: Let’s stay with Cole. What specifically has been the key to the outstanding performances he’s had the last three times or so out? Searage: He’s got a better feel for what he can do. You know, success breeds confidence, breeds success ... it’s a never-ending wheel. And as he’s going out there and pitching and finding out what he can do, and about the hitters, and knowing the hitters’ weaknesses and knowing their strengths, knowing what his strengths are, and competing and battling out there. He’s learning with every pitch. He knows and kind of has a good feel about himself, especially on the mound. Q: How has Cole handled being saddled with the âfuture of the franchiseã title, if you will? Searage: You know, I don’t really think he thinks about that very much. Every time that we’ve talked, he’s got both feet on the ground, and he’s focusing on his next start. How can I keep the team in the game, how can I help the team get a chance of winning this game that I’m starting, how far can I go and what do I have, and those things have really helped in speeding up (his) maturity level as a Major League pitcher. Q: Cole’s in uncharted territory as far as his workload this year. How do you balance health considerations with the fact you’re right in the middle of a pennant race? Searage: We’re watching. We have an idea — there’s a couple times where we’ve pushed him back from a start. ... We did it in August, and we did it in September. As of right now, we can’t prepare for something that we don’t have just yet. What we have to do is concentrate on every game, taking care of that one game, and then when the next day brings the next game, we focus on that.
Q: Was there ever any conversation about shutting him down at any point this year? Searage: No, no. We just made sure that we found out where he was the last year, and where he is this year, and we kind of calculated it, that’s why we had him pushed back a couple times. Q: As a pitching coach, how does your approach differ working with a veteran such as A.J. Burnett versus a young guy like Cole or a Jeff Locke? Searage: With A.J., it’s more of Xs and Os, and it might be one or two keys that I just need to say something about them, because he’s been pitching for some time, and he’s got a good idea of what he needs. I’m there for support. With Cole, he’s still progressing into a bona fide Major League pitcher. He still has some hoops to jump through, but when talking to a young kid and somebody who’s had experience, you’re thinking about the positives and where his delivery is. That way, with A.J., it’s more like a àyou’re not doing this, you’re not doing that,’ and that’s it. It’s cut and dried, whereas the younger kids, you have to go a little more in depth so this way they understand. Q: Mark Melancon’s been a huge addition this year. What has he meant to the team over the course of the season? Searage: Tremendous. Tremendous acquisition by Neal Huntington, and this guy, we were able to get him back, back into the swing of things, no pun intended. But you know, his confidence level and what he’s done for us out of the bullpen has been tremendous — I mean, not only as the eighth-inning guy, and then he filled in for the stopper when Jason went down. You know, when you’ve got two guys down there like that, and you can count on Melancon coming in and shutting it down in the eighth inning, and sometimes last year, Grilli faced two-three-four when he was in the eighth inning role, and Melancon was doing that, too. Mark has been a real positive influence, especially for the young guys out of the bullpen, like (Bryan) Morris, and (Justin) Wilson, and (Vin) Mazzaro, those guys — watch how the routine is made, what he does in order to prepare himself for the game, not only physically but mentally. And they’ve grown that way, and Mark has been a big
add to the chemistry of the bullpen. Not that I’m saying he’s the only reason. They all get together and they all pull the same way and they’ve always got each others’ back. Q: Melancon spent some time in the same bullpen as Mariano Rivera. What kind of impact do you think that’s had on his development as a relief pitcher? Searage: I mean, there you’ve got the best of the best. You know, and he’s had conversations with him that he told me (about), and Mariano was always thinking about the execution of that one pitch, and then the execution of the next pitch when that came up, so you know, when (Rivera) went out there, (Mark) watched him, and (Rivera) practiced what he preached. There was no over-excitement, no panic, he was able to control his emotions. He’s been doing it for how many years, you know? But to watch somebody do that, to watch the best of the best, you can try to emulate yourself about that. Q: How has Jason Grilli handled returning to a middle relief, setup type role since coming off the disabled list? Searage: Fairly well. There have been times where he’s frustrated, you know, he’s not where he wants to be. ... We’ve got to keep him elevated, keep him up, because it’s frustrating after a while. You see the team winning, and the guys are in there, and you want to be a part of that. You want to get back into your own role, but sometimes you don’t want to rush the process because you’re not ready for it, and as he continues to go on through these games, he’ll get back to it. Q: Looking back over the season, who or what has been the biggest surprise to you on this staff? Searage: Wow. Well, Liriano out of the starters, coming over and pitching the way he has been pitching has been tremendous. Out of the bullpen, I couldn’t give you one guy. They’ve all been surprises to me. I’m really happy, in a good way, that Morris has done so well, Wilson has done so well, Mazzaro — (Tony) Watson, we knew he was on his way, he just needed more seasoning and he got it this year, and he’s been phenomenal. Grilli and Melancon, you know, so I can’t give you one guy down there. ... I’m really happy to see how they’ve matured so well, and
they’ve taken a really good hold of their jobs down there, so it’s been really, really a lot of fun. Q: You guys have had one of the best pitching staffs in baseball this year. Can you speak to the organizational depth the Pirates have, and how you think that will translate in the coming years to maintaining that status? Searage: Well, in the past, we didn’t have depth. We had young pitchers, but they weren’t ready for the Major League level, or as we did this year, we spot started (Brandon) Cumpton, (Kris) Johnson. We had guys that could come up that could fill that void when we had a pitcher go down, to save about a week, to get them back to normal, to get them bounced back to their old ways of pitching again, because this is a long year. This is a grind, and when you have the Cumptons and the Johnsons coming up and spot star ting, that saved our tail big time because we had depth. We had depth in the minor leagues also out of the relief corps, coming up. So now, all of a sudden, the transition’s going, that all of these young kids are now getting closer to the Major League level, they’re getting a little bit of dosage up here, and when we bring them up and we use them because we need somebody to take a break or something, they come in and they do a good job, they see how it is, now the next time that they come up, they’re going to be more familiar with what’s happening up here and how to handle it. Q: Last question: what has it been like for you personally, being a part of bringing winning baseball back to Pittsburgh? Searage: You know, I’ve said this many times before, I’m just a lucky man right now, to be in the position that I am. I’ve been with the Pirates for 12 years, and to watch it turn around and being a part of it — in it — it’s priceless. I don’t mean to coin a phrase, but you can’t put a price tag on it. The kids — I call them kids, because I’m an old man — but these men that go out there and perform and compete, it’s just tremendous, and it’s really nice to see the personalities, how they all get together and they all pull in the same direction. So for me, I hit the lottery.
16 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
Pittsburgh Pirates Postseason Performances • 1903 World Series - Boston defeats Pittsburgh, 5 games to 3 • 1909 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats Detroit, 4 games to 3 • 1925 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats Washington Senators, 4 games to 3 • 1927 World Series - New York Yankees defeat Pittsburgh, 4 games to none Notes: • The 1903 World Series was a best-of-nine series. It has been a best-of-seven series since, except for a three-year period from 1919-21, when it returned to the nine-game format. • The League Championship Series format was not adopted until 1969. Prior to that, the team in each league with the best record advanced automatically to the World Series. • The LCS was lengthened from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven series beginning in 1985.
• 1960 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats New York Yankees, 4 games to 3 • 1970 N.L.C.S. -- Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to none • 1971 N.L.C.S. - Pittsburgh defeats San Francisco, 3 games to one • 1971 World Series - Pittsburgh defeats Baltimore, 4 games to 3 • 1972 N.L.C.S. - Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to 2 • 1974 N.L.C.S. - Los Angeles defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to 1 • 1975 N.L.C.S. - Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 3 games to 1 • 1979 N.L.C.S. - Pittsburgh defeats Cincinnati, 3 games to 1 • 1979 World Series -- Pittsburgh defeats Baltimore, 4 games to 3 • 1990 N.L.C.S. -- Cincinnati defeats Pittsburgh, 4 games to 2 • 1991 N.L.C.S. - Atlanta defeats Pittsburgh, 4 games to 3 • 1992 N.L.C.S. - Atlanta defeats Pittsburgh, 4 games to 3 AVAILABLE IN: • STEEL TOE and NON-STEEL TOE • WATERPROOF GORTEX • INSULATED • WIDTHS B through 3E & H AVAILABLE • SPECIAL ORDERS INCLUDED! • IN STOCK OR SPECIAL ORDER
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Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013 • 17
18 • Morning Journal • Turning Points: Pittsburgh Pirates 2013 • Monday, September 30, 2013
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